Bio

TEAM PAGES: MEN'S TRACK | WOMEN'S TRACK | MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY | WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

Kajari Burns enters his sixth season as the Head Track and Field and Cross Country Coach for College of San Mateo. Under Burns’s leadership, the CSM Track and Field / Cross-Country teams have experienced continued growth and success with yearly State Championship, Norcal Championship, and Conference Championship appearances. Kajari is passionate about teaching his student-athletes to focus on their personal best effort, making mistakes, learning from mistakes, and patience through the developmental process. His lifelong experience in Track and Field, rehabilitation, and health and fitness environments form the foundational pillars for his approach to athletic development.

Kajari was the Assistant Track and Field Coach for one year at CSM before being brought on as the Head Coach. Prior to his full-time role at CSM, Burns worked as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Personal Trainer as well as an Assistant Track and Field Coach with Hilltop Speed Track Club and Riordan High School.

Burns has coached CSM’s first Sprint Double State Champion in the Women’s 100m and 200m dash, Sophie Liao, CSM’s first State Champion and school record holder in the Men’s High Jump, Jack Phillips, and multi-time community college All-Americans Shannen Dorn, Johnny Goode, Donovan Garcia, and Carolyn Trevithick. Burns is most proud of his students’ ability to pair their academic skills with their athletic achievements to move on to be successful student-athletes at the university level.

Burns was born and raised in Richmond, California, and is a former Contra Costa community college student-athlete. Kajari earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Davis, and holds a Master's Degree in Kinesiology from Fresno Pacific University. As a lifelong Bay Area resident, he has been a member of the local Track and Field community for most of his life. Kajari is the son of long-time Bay Area Track and Field coach Sam Burns.